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tween them for her to admit that the matter of particular note had been no more than her desire to see him. |
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Thus, when Alinor was sure Isobel was well on her way to recovery and would be leaving for Ireland in a few weeks' time, she rode off with the men Ian had left for her. Once on the road, she did not hurry. She stopped for a day at Iford and came late in the evening of the next day safely into Roselynde. |
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There were two days in which Alinor's delighted children rediscovered the gay mother of whom they had only seen flashes since January. Then Alinor's messenger rode into Roselynde, fearful and exhausted. Alinor needed no more than one look at his face when he came into the hall. |
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"What is amiss?" she cried. |
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The man dropped to his knees. "I could not find him, lady. I could not find him." |
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"What? What nonsense is this? What do you mean you could not find him?" |
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"Lady, between Powys Castle and Clyro Hill, Lord Ian and his men disappeared like smoke in the air." |
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Alinor's first impulse was to berate her man for a fool of the worst kind, but she mastered that self-deceptive desire. The man was not a fool. He had carried messages for her without failing many times. To call him a fool was only to deny her own fears. |
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"Rise up, and tell me exactly what you did." |
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"From Monmouth, lady, I rode" |
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"Begin from when you came to Lord Ian's vassal's keep. What befell there?" |
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"Naught. I was welcomed in and told that Lord Ian had ridden south the day before." |
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"What of the matter he went to settle there? Were there signs of war? Of a truce?" |
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"A wedding, lady. The servants told me. The maiden's father had been a little reluctant to make good his contract, but he thought better of it, and Lord Ian was in |
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